Course:EPSE308/Case Studies/Social and Emotional Learning

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Case Study 1: Elementary Version - Weaving the Secrets of the Past

Weaving the Secrets of the Past

When the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action came out, Ms. Miller’s school was required to teach all students, of all ages, about the truths of Indian Residential Schools (IRS). Orange Shirt Day was coming up fast and Ms. Miller and her colleagues (mainly white teachers) struggled with what and how to teach in this area, having limited experience and knowledge about IRS.

Many teachers found ways to discuss the Indian Residential School systems with their students, as best they could. They discussed how and why children were taken from their families; why there was a loss of language, culture, and traditions; how family members missed one another; and the sadness and many other emotions that may have been experienced by Indigenous families.  

Later in the year, when the remains of 215 children were found buried at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, Ms. Miller and her colleagues were concerned about how they could deliver this news to the students. Some of Ms. Miller’s colleagues opted completely out of teaching this topic, others did not speak of the murders that happened, but Ms. Miller did not shy away from the topic and sharing the truth.

Ms. Miller, a Canadian settler, felt the need to speak about Canada’s true history. Although the students in Ms. Miller’s class were primary students, she had a need to speak about the truth of Canada’s horrific history. Unlike most of her colleagues, Ms. Miller was direct about the topic using developmentally appropriate language. She did her best to learn as much as she could prior to teaching about the tragic histories and to answer the questions asked by her students. She wanted to help others understand the histories of Indigenous Peoples and what they have had to overcome. Non-Indigenous children in her class went home confused about why this had happened to Indigenous children in Canada. Some Indigenous children went home feeling afraid that they, too, would be taken from their families and placed in Residential Schools.  

Many parents were in support of reconciliation and agreed with the need to include Indigenous history and content in the school curriculum. There were many mixed emotions from parents and guardians that came after Ms. Miller’s presentations about the remains found at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Many families were in support of Ms. Miller and what she was teaching, but many other families contested what was being taught at their child’s school.  

A non-Indigenous family expressed concerns that their 6-year-old child had learned about the history of residential schools and about the remains of 215 children found buried at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. The family did not know much about the actual truths of residential schools until their child came home explaining what Ms. Miller had taught them. The parents were angry with Ms. Miller, and complained to the school’s principal. They told the principal that Ms. Miller should not be teaching their 6-year-old child about murders, neglect, and abuse.  

Another family of First Nations ancestry was also concerned with the emotions and reactions of their 6-year-old child to the information shared in Ms. Miller's class. Their child was scared to return to school because of what he was learning about residential schools. Although Ms. Miller indicated that this would never happen again, the child was scared and feared that he, too, was going to be taken away from his parents. The child had a difficult time feeling safe and returning to school.  

As a classroom teacher, particularly in light of the recent discoveries of children’s graves at the sites of formal Indian Residential Schools, how would you deliver the difficult news to your students?  

Questions for discussion:

  1. How will you and your team create a safe learning environment for all people?  
  2. While teaching difficult topics, what are you doing as an educator to support your students if they become overwhelmed     ?  
  3. What steps are you taking as an educator to check the well-being of your students (example: zones of self-regulation)?
  4. How are you communicating with parents and guardians to raise awareness and ensure a better understanding of difficult topics that need to be addressed in school?
  5. How do you develop supportive and trusting relationships with the families and caregivers of the students you teach that allow for safe and open dialogue when they are not comfortable with material you are teaching in your classroom?  
  6. Thinking about educator SEL - If a subject makes a teacher feel uncomfortable, should they skip this topic? How might Ms. Miller attend to her own needs, feelings, anxieties, frustrations, etc., that may come up when having to teach an uncomfortable and unknown topic? How might the school as a whole identify      ways to support the needs of teachers in their journey of teaching difficult material and responding to the harsh feedback and reactions they may receive when doing so?

Case Study 1: Secondary Version -Weaving the Secrets of the Past

Weaving the Secrets of the Past

When the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action came out, Ms. Miller’s school was required to teach all students about the truths of Indian Residential Schools (IRS). Orange Shirt Day was coming up fast and Ms. Miller and her colleagues (mainly white teachers) struggled with what and how to teach in this area, having limited experience and knowledge about IRS.

Many teachers found ways to discuss the Indian Residential School systems with their students, as best they could. They discussed how and why children were taken from their families; why there was a loss of language, culture, and traditions; how family members missed one another; and the sadness and many other emotions that may have been experienced by Indigenous families.

Later in the year, when the remains of 215 children were found buried at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, Ms. Miller and her colleagues were concerned about how they could deliver this news to the students. Some of Ms. Miller’s colleagues opted completely out of teaching this topic, others did not speak of the murders that happened, but Ms. Miller did not shy away from the topic and sharing the truth.

Ms. Miller, a Canadian settler, felt the need to speak about Canada’s true history. She felt it was important to educate her students about the truth of Canada’s horrific history in a manner appropriate for her adolescent students. Unlike most of her colleagues, Ms. Miller was direct about the topic, using developmentally appropriate language. She did her best to learn as much as she could prior to teaching about the tragic histories, and to answer the questions asked by her students. She wanted to help others understand the histories of Indigenous Peoples and what they have had to overcome. Non-Indigenous students in her class went home confused about why this had happened to Indigenous children in Canada. Some Indigenous students went home with very complex thoughts and emotions that were challenging to handle on their own.

While most parents were in support of reconciliation and agreed with the need to include Indigenous history and content in the school curriculum, there were mixed emotions after Ms. Miller’s presentations about the remains found at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Many families were in support of Ms. Miller and what she was teaching, but many other families questioned what was being taught at their student’s school.

A non-Indigenous family expressed concerns that their 13-year-old child had learned about the history of residential schools and about the remains of 215 children found buried at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. This family did not know much about the actual truths of residential schools until their student came home explaining what Ms. Miller had taught them. The parents were angry with Ms. Miller, and complained to the school’s principal. They told the principal that Ms. Miller should not be teaching their 13-year-old child about murders, neglect, and abuse.

Another family of First Nations ancestry was also concerned with the emotions and reactions of their 13-year-old child to the information shared in Ms. Miller's class. Their child was overcome by challenging emotions because of what he was learning about residential schools. Although Ms. Miller indicated that this would never happen again, the student had a difficult time feeling safe and returning to school where most of the teachers were white settlers.

As future classroom teachers, consider this case and what you might do in your own classrooms if you were in Ms. Miller’s shoes.

Before you begin to answer the case questions, read and discuss the following

  • Think about other difficult topics taught in school, such as Remembrance Day, World War I and II. Those difficult topics about genocide have been successfully taught in elementary and secondary schools. As such, this isn’t the first time a difficult topic has been taught in school.
  • The teacher may need to think about learning about Indigenous People and communities outside of Orange Shirt Day. Thinking about asking Indigenous guest speakers into the classroom for other “happier” topics, such as, a community powwow, Salmon feast, or visiting a long house.
  • Do not invite survivors with “cold calls or emails” Make sure teachers have a prior relationship with guest speakers. It’s not appropriate to invite survivors to ask them to re-tell their trauma. This can be re-traumatizing and discriminatory to ask them about their IRS experience.

Case questions for discussion and submission:

  1. How does this case relate to the SEL of Ms. Miller’s students?  (come up with at least 3 ideas)
  2. Looking at the case, what do you think Ms. Miller did well in trying to create a safe learning environment for all students no matter how difficult the topic?  What might you suggest she do differently?
  3. How might Ms. Miller have done a better job of developing supportive and trusting relationships with the families of her students, so that they might be more comfortable with the material she taught (or more comfortable reaching out to her directly)?
  4. How might Ms. Miller attend to her own needs, feelings, anxieties, frustrations, etc., that may come up when having to teach an uncomfortable and/or unfamiliar topic?   


Note:  In line with Indigenous protocols to knowledge, we situate ourselves in relationship to the case study. We are a collective of educators who are connected to UBC’s teacher education program. Two of us are Indigenous. Dr. Johanna Sam is a proud member of Tsilhqot’in Nation in north-central British Columbia. Dr. Sam's research and teaching takes a strength-based approach for exploring digital spaces and wellbeing among youth and Indigenous communities. Ms. Erica Hamilton is a proud member of the Musgamagw Dzawada’enuxw Tribe of the Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw peoples. She was raised in Alert Bay on the north tip of Vancouver Island, home of the ‘Namgis First Nation. Her teaching philosophy expands on Indigenous Education as a focal point while learning about different cultures and traditions and exploring the beauty of diversity. Ms. Amanda Denys is a K-6 educator with special interests in social and emotional learning (SEL) and mental wellbeing.  Dr. Laurie Ford who takes a strong interdisciplinary focus as an educator and psychologist to her work exploring family school community relationship with an emphasis on families with diverse backgrounds.  Dr. Surita Jhangiani and Dr. Shawna Faber are the course creators and instructors and both focus on the importance of development, diversity, and creating inclusive classroom spaces where everyone feels safe and supported.

Case Study 2: Elementary Version -Mistaken Identity

"Mistaken" Identity

Miss B. is a music teacher in a K-9 community school serving approximately 1100 students of various ethnic and racial backgrounds. Miss B. has worked full time at the school for 12 years and is also in charge of several extra-curricular initiatives including the school choir, handbell choir, and yearly winter concert. She is well known in the school community and has taught nearly all of the students in the school at one time or another including, at times, multiple children from the same family.  She is one of three Black, female teachers at the school which has a staff of about 70 people.

One day there is a Black, female Teacher on Call (TOC) working in the school named Mrs. M. Throughout the day many students greet the TOC with enthusiastic and friendly waves and by saying things like, “Hi, Miss B.!” or “Have a good day, Miss B.!”.

Mr. C., a grade 4 teacher, observed the interactions between Mrs. M. and his students and has noticed that while Mrs. M. smiled at the students, she had a confused and somewhat sad look on her face. Mr. C. believes that he should intervene and/or address the situation. What should he do?

Use the following prompts and questions to help guide your thinking:

Social Awareness is one of the five core competencies set out by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) . It includes feeling empathy for others from similar and diverse backgrounds, cultures, and contexts as well as understanding how broader historical and societal norms can influence our sense of belonging.

In the above scenario, who do you think has or does not have a positive sense of belonging? Consider Mrs. M., the students who were calling her Miss B., Black students (or other students of colour) who may have witnessed the exchanges involving the “mistaken" identity, etc.

  • How can Mr. C. support any staff member or student who may not be feeling valued, included, or seen as a result of the above situation?
  • What steps could Mr. C. take to help prevent similar situations from happening in the future and to promote the well-being of ALL members of the school community?
  • Many SEL models stress the importance of educator SEL. How might Mr. C. attend to his own needs, feelings, anxieties, frustrations, etc. that may have arisen during the events described above and the actions he decides to take? How can he help support Mrs. M. in what appears to have been a difficult experience for her?

Case Study 2: Secondary Version - Mistaken Identity

"Mistaken" Identity

Miss B. is a music teacher in a high school community school serving approximately 300 students of various ethnic and racial backgrounds. Miss B. has worked full time at the school for 12 years and is also in charge of several extra-curricular initiatives including the school choir, handbell choir, and yearly winter concert. She is well known in the school community and has taught nearly all of the students in the school at one time or another including, at times, multiple students from the same family.  She is one of three Black, female teachers at the school which has a staff of about 40 people.

One day there is a Black, female Teacher on Call (TOC) working in the school named Mrs. M. Throughout the day many students approach her and ask if she is Miss B.’s twin sister saying that they look exactly the same. They use phrases such as, “The two of you look like, basically, the same person!”

Mr. C., a science teacher, observed the interactions between Mrs. M. and his students and has noticed that while Mrs. M. smiled at the students and responded that the both of them were not related, she had a confused and somewhat sad look on her face. Mr. C. believes that he should intervene and/or address the situation. What should he do?

Use the following prompts and questions to help guide your thinking:

Social Awareness is one of the five core competencies set out by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) . It includes feeling empathy for others from similar and diverse backgrounds, cultures, and contexts as well as understanding how broader historical and societal norms can influence our sense of belonging.

In the above scenario, who do you think has or does not have a positive sense of belonging? Consider Mrs. M., the students who thought she was Miss B.’s twin sister, and Black students (or other students of colour) who may have witnessed the exchanges involving the “mistaken" relationship between the teachers, etc.

  • How can Mr. C. support any staff member or student who may not be feeling valued, included, or seen as a result of the above situation?
  •  What steps could Mr. C. take to help prevent similar situations from happening in the future and to promote the well-being of ALL members of the school community?
  • Many SEL models stress the importance of educator SEL. How might Mr. C. attend to his own needs, feelings, anxieties, frustrations, etc. that may have arisen during the events described above and the actions he decides to take? How can he help support Mrs. M. in what appears to have been a difficult experience for her?

Attribution Statement

When re-using this resource, please attribute as follows:

This UBC EPSE 308 Behaviourism Open Case Study was developed by Amanda Denys, Laurie Ford, and Erica Hamilton and it is licensed under a under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

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